1. Field of the Invention
A preferred embodiment relates to air springs for vehicle suspensions and preferably two-wheeled vehicle suspensions, such as the suspensions of bicycles, which are typically mounted between the chassis of the vehicle and a wheel. In particular, a preferred embodiment relates to an air spring, optionally combined with a shock absorber or other damper to form an integrated suspension unit, which permits instant selection between two different spring rate curves by simply rotating an external knob one-quarter turn.
2. Description of the Related Art
One advantage of air springs is the ability to change spring rate (“softer” or “stiffer”) simply by adjusting the internal air pressure. Such a method permits changing the spring rate curve of an air spring, and is available for essentially all air springs. On many air springs this is accomplished relatively easily by pressurizing or de-pressurizing the air spring with a hand pump and gauge, or by using an air pressure hose at an automobile service station (“gas station”). Most air springs are purposely designed with a standardized Schrader air valve (similar to those in automobile tires) to make this relatively easy and convenient.
As is known in the art, spring rate characteristics can also be changed by altering the initial air chamber volume. Increasing or decreasing initial air chamber volume softens or stiffens, respectively, the air spring curve.
Conventional prior-art air springs for bicycles and motorcycles have been known to provide features for altering air chamber volume. The most common method, used especially in air-sprung mountain bike front forks, is to increase or decrease air chamber volume by adding or removing hydraulic fluid (“changing the oil level”). In other cases, air spring suspension components have been provided with solid, light-weight, “volume plugs”. The air spring is opened and the “volume plugs” are added or removed from the air chamber. Both methods, of course, generally require depressurization and opening of the hydraulic unit and/or the air spring.
Another feature known in the art for altering the air chamber volume on certain bicycle and motorcycle air springs has been an adjustable-position threaded cap closing off the air chamber. Threading this cap in or out, which can require a fair amount of torque to overcome frictional forces resulting from the internal pressure, changes the air chamber volume. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,236 teaches this for a bicycle front fork. Also known in the art is a threaded-cap adjustable-volume external air reservoir which can be added to a basic shock absorber or fork air spring. Changes of this type can typically be accomplished faster than adding or removing hydraulic fluid, and may be accomplished in about 1 minute.
Motorcycles having air suspension with an on-board pressurization system including an on-board air compressor to monitor and regulate air pressure on demand, are also known in the art.
There is a need in bicycles and motorcycles which incorporate air spring suspension for a quick, easy way to alter the air spring curve “on-the-fly”. All the prior-art methods noted above suffer from various limitations, including time and effort required, weight, bulk, complexity, and cost.
One aspect of a preferred embodiment is to provide a suspension air spring, optionally integrated with a shock absorber or other damper, that permits instant selection between “soft” and “firm” spring rate curves by simply turning an external knob one-quarter turn. This is much quicker and easier than other methods provided by conventional prior-art designs. The illustrated embodiments are particularly applicable to bicycles.
In the context of real-world mountain biking, all prior-art methods of changing air spring rates create a significant interruption in the ride, and thus typically are done infrequently, or not at all, during a ride. In contrast, turning an external knob as described according to a preferred embodiment is so quick and simple that it can be done in a routine “on-the-fly” manner dozens of times as desired during a typical ride. Since terrain and trail conditions constantly change, this greatly benefits the rider by enabling him/her to continuously select the best spring rate for the current situation.
The illustrated embodiments achieve this result by partitioning the air spring (more generally, “gas spring”) into two separate partial volumes. The two partial volumes are connected by a sealed passage which is selectively opened or closed by turning an external knob. Turning the knob rotates a cam which desirably is in contact with a cam follower. The cam follower then preferably moves a check ball up or down, causing the ball to either seat on or unseat from, respectively, a seal in the connecting passage.
When the check ball is seated, the passage is closed and air flow from the first partial volume to the second partial volume is blocked. This isolates the second partial volume and prevents it from physically participating as a part of the air spring upon compression of the suspension. As is well-known in the art, air spring characteristics depend upon the initial pressure and volume characteristics of the air spring. When the total initial volume is effectively reduced, as occurs here when the passage leading to the second partial volume is blocked, the air spring characteristic (“spring curve”) becomes firmer.
When the check ball is unseated, the passage is open and air flow between the two partial volumes is unrestricted. This, of course, makes both partial volumes physically available to the air spring, and results in greater total initial volume and a softer air spring characteristic.
A preferred embodiment is an air spring for a two wheeled vehicle. The air spring being positionable between a vehicle sprung mass and a vehicle wheel. The air spring includes an air cylinder closed at one end and connectable to one of a vehicle sprung mass and a vehicle wheel. A piston is in axially-slidable engagement with the air cylinder and is connectable to the other of a vehicle sprung mass and a vehicle wheel. A partitioning member is positioned within the cylinder and at least partially divides the cylinder into a primary air chamber and a secondary air chamber. A passage connects the primary air chamber and the secondary air chamber and a valve assembly is configured to selectively permit air flow through the passage.
Another preferred embodiment is a gas spring assembly including a body portion and a shaft portion. The shaft portion is telescopingly engaged with the body portion. A piston is carried by the shaft portion and cooperates with the body portion to define a variable volume first gas chamber. One of the shaft portion and the body portion at least partially defines a second gas chamber. A valve assembly is positionable in a first position and a second position. In the first position, the valve assembly substantially prevents communication between the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber and in the second position, the valve assembly permits communication between the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber.
Another aspect of the present invention involves a front suspension fork assembly positionable on a bicycle. The front fork assembly includes a gas spring assembly having a body portion and a shaft portion. The shaft portion is telescopingly engaged with the body portion. A piston is carried by the shaft portion and cooperates with the body portion to define a variable volume first gas chamber. One of the shaft portion and the body portion at least partially defines a second gas chamber. A valve assembly is positionable in a first position and a second position. In the first position, the valve assembly substantially prevents communication between the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber and in the second position, the valve assembly permits communication between the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber. The valve assembly is movable between the first position and the second position by an actuator positioned to be accessible to a hand of a rider of the bicycle while riding.
The prior-art integrated suspension unit 100 of
The typical prior-art integrated suspension unit 100 as shown in
In
Still referring to
In particular, it is well-known that without the counteracting force produced by the negative air chamber 136, which rapidly increases as the shock absorber approaches full extension and the volume of the negative air chamber 136 rapidly decreases, the initial portion of the spring curve (“spring preload”) would be quite stiff. Thus, an undesirably large beginning force would be required to initiate the first portion of travel from full extension.
Typical spring curves produced with and without the negative air chamber 136 are illustrated in
The positive air chamber 128 is pressurized via the air valve 112. As is typical, an air passage (not shown) is drilled in the upper eyelet housing 116, and leads from the air valve 112 to the positive air chamber 128.
The negative air chamber 136 is pressurized via a transfer port 132. Transfer occurs at that pre-determined point near the beginning of suspension travel where the transfer port 132 bridges the positive/negative seal assembly 130, as depicted in
The positive/negative seal assembly 130 provides a moving seal between the positive air chamber and the negative air chamber and seals at all times except when bridged by the transfer port 132. The inside bore of the air cylinder 126 is burnished or otherwise finished to provide a smooth, low-friction surface which seals well.
The negative chamber seal assembly 140 seals the lower side of the negative chamber on the outside of the shock body 197, which is burnished or otherwise finished to provide a smooth, low-friction surface which seals well.
The prior-art integrated suspension unit 100 of
Although this damper construction feature is not required for application of the preferred embodiments, it is illustrated here in the prior-art and it is also included in the illustrated embodiment shown in
The rest of the prior-art integrated suspension unit 100, including the piston assembly 195 of the damper assembly 190 which creates damping as it moves thru the damping fluid 196, are not illustrated or described in further detail since they are conventional features well-known to those skilled in the art, and are not required for an understanding of the preferred embodiments.
External views of a preferred embodiment are shown in
The detent ball assembly 260 provides a detenting effect such that, after adjustment, the travel adjust lever 252 is held in the selected position. It also provides tactile feedback to the operator to indicate attainment of a new position upon rotation. The travel adjust lever 252 is incorporated into the upper eyelet housing 216 and is secured to an actuating cam shaft 254 by a retaining screw 256. A surface of the actuating cam shaft 254 has a ball indent 255 spaced every 90-degrees on its outer surface near one end. A surface of a detent ball 262, urged by a detent spring 264 which is secured by a detent set screw 266, engages the ball indent 255. Thus, in an engaged position, the detent ball 262 engages one of the ball indents 255 and a first level of resistance to rotation of the travel adjust lever 252 is provided that, desirably, inhibits unintentional rotation of the lever 252, while still allowing the lever 252 to be rotated by hand. In an unengaged position, the detent ball 262 contacts a surface of the cam shaft 254 between the indents 255 and, desirably, provides little or no resistance to rotation of the travel adjust lever 252.
In
In order to facilitate clear visualization of the interface between the upper eyelet housing 216 and the air cylinder partition 272,
With the travel adjust lever 252 in the position shown in
However, this does not seal off flow in the opposite direction, since check ball spring 284 is specified to produce only a small spring force, for example about 0.03 to 0.05 pounds, with the check ball 282 in the sealed position. Accordingly, if the pressure from the second partial volume 229 above the check ball 282 exceeds the pressure below it from first partial volume 227 by approximately 3 to 5 psi, then this pressure differential will overcome the force of check ball spring 284 and check ball 282 will move downward away from sealing contact with check ball seal 283. In this event, air will flow from second partial volume 229 to first partial volume 227.
This characteristic is desirable in order to prevent unintended entrapment of excess air and pressure in the second partial volume 229. For correct function of the adjustable air spring assembly 210, it is preferred that the pressure in second partial volume 229 does not become significantly greater than the pressure in first partial volume 227. Such a situation would result in the pressure within the first partial volume 227 being reduced from its initial, preset level, due to the finite quantity of air within the suspension unit 200. As a result, the spring rate of the air spring 200 in its short travel mode (i.e., only utilizing the first partial volume 227) would be undesirably reduced from its initial setting. Rather, according to the preferred embodiments, the pressure in the second partial volume 229 preferably remains approximately equal to or less than the pressure in first partial volume 227, since the check ball spring 284 creates only a small preload force.
Although the above-described valve assembly is preferred for its simplicity, reliability and low manufacturing cost, other valve arrangements may also be employed. For example, a needle-type valve body may be used in place of the check ball 282. In an alternative arrangement, the cam surface 259 may directly contact the valve body (e.g., the check ball 282) and the cam follower 258 may be omitted. Further, the above-described functions of the valve assembly do not necessarily have to be performed by a single valve arrangement. For example, a first valve arrangement may selectively connect and disconnect the first partial volume 227 and second partial volume 229, while another valve arrangement provides the check valve function of preventing the pressure of the second partial volume 229 from becoming substantially greater than the pressure of the first partial volume 227.
Similarly,
Note that the overall compressed lengths of suspension unit 200 are different, with the length L.sub.1 in
It should be explained that, although for simplicity in the above example a final external compression force of 750 pounds on the suspension unit 200 is assumed for both cases, this is only an approximation. A rigorous computer motion analysis of a specific situation, centering on the basic equation of motion F=ma (force equals mass times acceleration), would show some difference, but this analysis is generally quite complicated and the difference would generally be relatively small. Thus, the above is a reasonably close approximation assuming that in both cases the vehicle upon which the suspension unit 200 is mounted is subjected to the same bump (or other terrain feature) and other conditions.
Additionally, it should be noted that at 1.27 inches of travel curve “A” is rising steeply. Thus, even if the final force that occurs in the short-travel mode is somewhat greater than the 750 pounds used in the above example, final travel would still be significantly less than curve “B”. For example, even if the final force reached 1000 pounds, final travel would still only be slightly more than 1.40 inches. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention is as a shock absorber for a mountain bike, it is desirable that the final force is less than 3000 pounds, desirably, less than 2000 pounds and, more desirably, less than 1000 pounds. Such an arrangement allows the air spring to withstand the impact forces resulting from traversing rough terrain with suspension arrangements presently incorporated on mountain bikes (e.g., wheel travel/shock travel ratio). As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, for other applications or suspension arrangements, the preferred final force may vary from the values recited above.
In the context of mountain bike suspension assemblies, preferably, the first partial volume 227 is between about 1 and 8 cubic inches. Desirably, the first partial volume 227 is between about 1.5 and 6 cubic inches and, more desirably, between about 2 and 4 cubic inches. Preferably, the second partial volume 229 is between about 0.3 and 4 cubic inches. Desirably, the second partial volume 229 is between about 0.4 and 3 cubic inches and, more desirably, between about 0.5 and 2 cubic inches. Such an arrangement provides a desirable spring rate of the suspension unit 200 when utilizing only the first partial volume 227, as well as when both the first partial volume 227 and second partial volume 299 are used to provide a spring force, for a substantial number of mountain bike applications.
In at least a significant portion of mountain bike suspension applications, it is preferable that the suspension unit 200 provides between about 0.5 and 3 inches of suspension travel in the short travel mode (i.e., utilizing only the first partial volume 227). Desirably, the suspension unit 200 provides between about 0.6 and 2.5 inches of travel and, more desirably, between about 0.75 and 2 inches of suspension travel in the short travel mode. Further, preferably the suspension unit provides between about 0.6 and 5 inches of suspension travel in the long travel mode (i.e., utilizing both the first partial volume 227 and the second partial volume 229). Desirably, the suspension unit 200 provides between about 0.8 and 4 inches of travel and, more desirably, between about 1 and 3 inches of suspension travel in the long travel mode. The range of values set forth above pertains to the relative movement between the two portions of the suspension unit 200 and the actual travel of the suspended bicycle wheel may vary from the travel of the suspension unit 200.
As described earlier, the differences between curve “A” and curve “B” result from the differences in initial chamber volume available during compression of the suspension unit 200. With the travel adjust lever 252 set as in
These following example calculations will serve to clarify these concepts.
These calculations are based on the well-known Ideal Gas Law for isothermal processes, which is a good first approximation for illustrating the basic principles of the preferred embodiments. This law states that for an enclosed variable volume the internal pressure will vary with volume according to the equation:
(P1)*(V1)=(P2)*(V2)
where:
P1=initial gas (air) pressure
P2=second gas (air) pressure
V1=initial volume
V2=second volume
Here is a simple example of this relationship. Assuming the initial conditions of a sealed, variable chamber are 10 cubic inches of air at 100 psi, if the volume is then reduced to 5 cubic inches the pressure will increase to 200 psi. Considered from another point of view, initial volume divided by final volume equals “compression ratio”. In this example the compression ratio is 10 divided by 5, or a compression ratio of 2. Final pressure can be calculated by multiplying initial pressure times compression ratio: 100 psi times 2=200 psi.
In the example of
For the configuration of
initial total chamber volume=4.23 cubic inches
reduced volume at 1.75 inches travel=1.75.times.1.65=2.89 cubic inches
chamber volume at 1.75 inches travel=4.23−2.89=1.34 cubic inches
Thus:
compression ratio at 1.75 inches travel=(4.23)/(1.34)=3.16
For the configuration of
initial total chamber volume=3.08 cubic inches
reduced volume at 1.27 inches travel=1.27.times.1.65=2.10 cubic inches
chamber volume at 1.27 inches travel=3.08−2.10=0.98 cubic inches
Thus:
compression ratio at 1.27 inches travel=(3.08)/(0.98)=3.14
For the configuration used in this example for suspension unit 200, and assuming an initial pressure of 150 psi, these compression ratios translate to an air spring force in both cases of about 750 pounds. However, the actual air spring force may vary depending on the specific application. Preferably, as described above, in the context of mountain bike suspension assemblies, the spring force is less than approximately 3000 pounds at a substantially fully compressed position of the air spring.
This example, of course, is by way of illustration only, and a wide spectrum of desired relationships between compression ratio and travel, and of the ratio of travel achieved in the short travel mode with that achieved in the long travel mode, can be attained with the illustrated embodiments by designing a particular variable air spring with appropriate dimensional relationships. Preferably, the percentage of travel achieved in the short travel mode with that achieved in the long travel mode is between about 40 and 90 percent. Desirably, the percentage of travel achieved in the short travel mode with that achieved in the long travel mode is between about 50 and 85 percent and, more desirably, between about 60 and 80 percent. Such a change in travel provides desirable suspension performance in both the short travel and long travel modes for at least a significant portion of typical suspension arrangements presently incorporated on mountain bikes.
In this embodiment, the travel adjust assembly 350 uses the same travel adjust lever 252 as utilized previously. The actuating cam shaft 354 is similar to the previous actuating cam shaft 254, but is somewhat longer. The upper eyelet housing 316 is similar to the previous upper eyelet housing 216, but is somewhat simpler and less costly to produce due to elimination of the previously-required off-center upper passage port coupler 217 which was depicted in
The other elements of the travel adjust assembly 350 as shown in
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various changes may be made within the technical scope of the invention as understood by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/237,333, filed Sep. 5, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,703,585, which claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/391,991, filed Jun. 25, 2002, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/392,802, filed Jun. 28, 2002. Each of the aforementioned related patent applications is herein incorporated by reference.
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Cannondale Documents—various articles dated 1993 and date unknown. |
Marzocchi literature, date unknown. |
Bicycle Guide Jul. 1994. |
Various Articles: Maverick American, Paul Turner, Profile. |
Sospensioni Jan. 1993. |
Mountain Tutto Bike Sep. 1992. |
Bici Da Montagna Mar. 1994. |
Listing of Forks, date unknown, unidentified, 1987-1991. |
Remote Adjustable Air Chamber (Risse Racing) (2 pages), 1999/2005. |
Showa Advertisment, Mountain Bike 22-23 (Jun. 1994) (3 pages). |
Rick Sieman, Do it yourself Tech-Dial in Your Own Forks (www.off-road.com/dirtbike/tech/forks) (Jul. 1, 2005) (6 pages). |
How to Improve the Ride and Suspension Performance of Cruiser Motorcycles (6 pages) (2006). |
Suspension Tuning Guide—Learning the Lingo (2 pages), date unknown. |
Rock Shox Fork SID Manuals (1998-2000) (15 pages). |
Cane Creek AD-10 and AD-12 Literature (7 pages), date unknown. |
Rock Shox Shock SID Manuals (1999 and 2001). |
Mike Rosso—How to Set KTM Fork Oil Level (www.4strokes.com) (1 page), date unknown. |
Fox Factory Catalog (Twin-Clicker Shox) 1983. |
The History of FOX Air Shocks (2001). |
Fox Twin-Clicker Owner's Manual Dec. 1981. |
Basic SID Rear Shock Dimensional Drawings, date unknown. |
Two pages from Fox Factory 2008 Aftermarket Catalog (re DHX). |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20100263974 A1 | Oct 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60391991 | Jun 2002 | US | |
60392802 | Jun 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10237333 | Sep 2002 | US |
Child | 12768523 | US |